Chapter 20: The Five-Person Team
The arrival of Scale Dragon·Yalik was unexpected, but since Su Xiao's office served as a branch of the Containment Institution in York City, it was normal for contractors to come here.
Long-term cooperation with Yalik was impossible; he only agreed to help with one task, and it couldn't be a death-defying situation. Although the reputation of the Containment Institution was valuable, it wasn't worth risking one's life.
Tonight, Su Xiao would set sail. The protagonist team's companions had already been recruited. With their help, the white-haired youth and Aichi had investigated the cause of the explosion at the Thorn Flower Daily.
The mastermind behind this incident involved the Alliance Council. Due to the protagonist team's stealth abilities, they were noticed by the Alliance Council by noon today, and the Council planned to make the protagonist team disappear.
Neither Su Xiao nor Kingsley would allow this to happen. So at noon, a speeding car crashed into the Alliance Council Hall, smashing through the main entrance and nearly charging up the spiral staircase to the second floor.
In addition to the crash, the Alliance Council suddenly caught fire, burning quite severely.
The car was arranged by Su Xiao, and the fire was set by Kingsley's men. After this incident, the Alliance Council insisted it was a deliberate attack. After an investigation, they concluded that a civilian organization called the "Calamity Church" was responsible, labeling it a cult.
The Calamity Church was wrongly accused. In reality, the Alliance Council knew what was happening. They dared to confront either Su Xiao or Kingsley individually, but facing both at the same time made several council members back down.
Under the warnings from Su Xiao and Kingsley, the Alliance Council quieted down and turned a blind eye to the protagonist team, wanting to see how things would develop.
Su Xiao glanced at the sky outside the window. The dusky sunset streamed through the window. It wasn't time yet; he would act at night. He had already commissioned Mrs. Xiu Lin from the Finance Department to borrow a steel warship from the Alliance military, citing the discovery of an S-class dangerous object on a small island that required immediate attention.
The Alliance military and the Alliance Council were separate power systems. The military had good relations with the Containment Institution and the Finance Department, with many covert collaborations.
Moreover, the relationship between the Southern Alliance and the Eastern Alliance had been deteriorating recently. Though they appeared unified, they were beginning to split. War was unlikely, but a split was inevitable. Because of this, the Southern Alliance military hoped to recruit more transcendents. They didn't need to do anything—just be registered there.
Regarding this, the Institution, the Containment Institution, and the Finance Department all supported it. All transcendents within the Institution were registered with the Alliance military. If it came to the worst, these transcendents would do more than just register—they would actually help bolster the front.
The special sea departure permit and the steel warship were secured. For now, they just needed to wait for the protagonist team to set sail first.
Su Xiao spread the files of the five protagonist team members on the table. He didn't need to review Aichi's file.
The white-haired youth's real name was unknown for now. Based on his hair and eye color, he was from the Eastern Alliance's "Gulabash." This youth had been searching for the truth about his origins and his mother. Known intelligence indicated that his mother had been taken by some dangerous object.
The other three members of the protagonist team were secretly selected by Su Xiao and Kingsley. None of them had a direct connection to the two. They were:
Nainai, female, 18 years old, a natural transcendent. Her main ability was retrospection. Anything she touched, she could quickly restore—whether an injured body or a damaged object. However, she couldn't restore dead beings, and healing injuries was only possible within 10 minutes of the injury. The stronger the person, the more effort Nainai needed to restore them.
If she only reconstructed a phantom projection of recent events, she could restore what happened within 25 meters over the past three days. Of course, she could only see the illusions produced by retrospection, not reverse time.
Nainai had strong observational skills. Having grown up in the slums, she was adept at reading people and understanding the world's evils and the ugliness of human hearts.
The reason Nainai joined the protagonist team was that she was being hunted and was saved by the white-haired youth and Aichi (the people hunting Nainai were sent by Su Xiao, each paid 500,000 Ta Pounds, with the promise of joining a branch organization under the Institution, with excellent benefits and housing in Jiamas City upon employment).
Besides retrospection as her main ability, Nainai could also use her mental power to communicate with wood-type natural elements, condensing plant-based life energy for healing effects.
Nainai was a support + amateur healer + perception + clever little trickster.
Besides Nainai, there was Daoer·Mu, male, 26 years old, 2.72 meters tall. His main ability was rock manipulation, which he could use to compress and enhance the defense of rocks.
Daoer·Mu joined the team because he had offended a major leader of the Institution long ago and had been on the run. This afternoon, he was discovered in Jiamas City by the Institution and nearly surrounded and killed. After escaping with severe injuries, he coincidentally met the white-haired youth and was saved (the ones who ambushed Daoer·Mu were not Institution members but Kingsley's subordinates in disguise).
Upon learning this, Su Xiao knew it was Kingsley's arrangement. Daoer·Mu was clearly a backup for the white-haired youth. If the white-haired youth died, Kingsley would likely train Daoer·Mu into a new World Child (pseudo).
In this regard, Kingsley was one step ahead, having prepared a substitute in advance. If Su Xiao's Aichi died, he had no backup candidate.
It was obvious: Daoer·Mu was the one meant to take the hits up front.
The last member of the protagonist team was Manli. Unlike the flat-figured Nainai, Manli was mature and voluptuous. She could use her mental power to control three spiral spikes that could be infused with mental energy. These spikes were black technology with strong penetration.
Undoubtedly, Manli was the team's ranged specialist. As for why she joined the team, it was straightforward. Manli's father was the deputy editor of the Thorn Flower Daily and died in the explosion. As a transcendent, she naturally wanted to investigate.
Originally, the fifth member of the protagonist team was Kingsley's arranged Green Crystal·Wei. But Su Xiao felt that Green Crystal·Wei's family background was too prominent, which would create a rift with Aichi, the white-haired youth, Nainai, and Daoer·Mu, preventing the protagonist team from being united.
Because of this, Su Xiao and Kingsley had a disagreement in the shadows. Eventually, a few Institution members went to check the water meter at Green Crystal·Wei's family estate. Kingsley didn't want to waste the chess piece of Green Crystal·Wei, so the fifth member of the protagonist team was set as Manli.
...
Under the silver moon, at the port of York City, five figures stood side by side at the edge of the dock, gazing at the sea before them.
"Aichi, we succeeded. Well, the first step succeeded."
The white-haired youth smiled, feeling favored by fate. Investigating the bombing of the Thorn Flower Daily not only brought him closer to his mother but also allowed him to meet four reliable friends. Even though they had known each other for a short time, going through life and death together forged deep bonds.
"Yeah."
Aichi had a slight smile on his face, his aura beginning to show some fierceness.
"Do you two have some special relationship?"
Daoer·Mu, nearly three meters tall, crossed his arms. His first impression made one wonder if he was gay.
"Stop talking dirty."
The petite Nainai kicked Daoer·Mu's calf and stole a glance at the white-haired youth. She wouldn't admit that she joined the team because he was handsome.
"You guys, be serious. We're opposing the entire Southern Alliance. This is almost like fighting the whole world."
The mature Manli spoke, watching a fishing boat approaching from the sea. Soon, the boat docked.
"Let's go. No matter what secrets the Alliance has, they can't stop us."
The white-haired youth was the first to jump onto the fishing boat. Aichi looked into the distance, toward Jiamas City. He missed his girlfriend. This time at sea, he didn't know if he would return.
The fishing boat set out into the night. At the dock, Bubu Wang took a sip of cola through a straw and contacted Su Xiao through the team channel.
In the office, Su Xiao tossed a soul crystal into his mouth, crunching it. It was time to set sail.
Meanwhile, in a dim study, a pair of eyes glowing with gold opened. The person picked up a pair of black gloves on the table. These gloves were a dangerous object: Dangerous Object·S-003 (Black Emperor).
The identity of the one possessing Dangerous Object·S-003 (Black Emperor) was obvious: the leader of the Eclipse Organization, Kingsley.
In the darkness, Kingsley glanced at a photo on the table. In it, a beautiful woman held a baby, smiling sweetly, pressing her face affectionately against the baby's cheek.
"Sorry, this time, I have to fight a blood beast."
Kingsley placed the photo face down on the table, his gaze turning cold. His wife and child were not his burden; they wouldn't make him fear death.
Boom.
Thunder rumbled in the sky, and soon a light rain began to fall. Outside the ancient castle where Kingsley was, figures ran through the rain, heading straight for the port.